25 January 2004	Sunday	02 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Jan 24: Speakers at a seminar on "challenges of the change in the 21st century" lamented the failure of the successive rulers to set priorities which could have led the country to a true path of progress and prosperity.

They urged the youth urged to work for a social change.

The seminar was organized by a recently established NGO "Endeavour", focussing on citizens aged 19 to 35 years.

They said that there were grim challenges ahead, and as such there was a need to perpetuate not only our social and cultural values, but also to set our priorities afresh.

Former senator Javed Jabbar said that Pakistan's history lies in its future and as such political workers are required to play a vital role.

Javed Jabbar, who also served in the capacity of federal minister twice, noted that despite having good plans, country could not get those implemented befittingly as it its development managers were short of vision or were failing to operate effectively.

Holding the media as major agent for social changes, he held that the country had freedom of expression now and as such heavy responsibility lies on communication channels for developing depth and greater approaches to issue.

However, both the print and the electronic media, which are under serious threat of free market philosophy are needed to ensure sanctity of knowledge and dignity of their contents, he added.

They speakers urged the youth to always think about breaking the status quo, as it could contribute to the philosophy of living a good life.

They noted that despite a passage of 56 years, we are still in search of our identity although the country witnessed changes in various walks of life.

They said that innovative approaches are needed to be adopted to enable the country to face the challenges of the 21st century.

While deliberating on the domestic political aspects, Prof Jaffar Ahmed, Director, Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi, identified different issues and sought resolution of those for meeting the challenges of future.

He said that the sovereignty of Pakistan had been under threat since its inception. The country entered different treaties and agreements with international bodies and coalitions, while the rulers restricted to the agenda set by foreign powers, with the only objective to prolong their stay in power, he observed.

"Like our sovereignty, we are also missing our ideology as a state," he said, adding, it was unfortunate that despite passage of considerable time, the nation was still engaged in debates, like what kind of state should Pakistan be.

He stressed the need for developing a just society and not to allow a very small segment of society to dominate the rest of the population.

Maintaining that the country lacked will towards national integrity and harmony, he suggested that a culture of dialogue between the provinces be promoted and there should be greater understanding and there should be respect for others' sentiments.

He further observed that Pakistan was still away from a democratic parliamentary system. He said regional peace had suffered due to adverse relationships between India and Pakistan, but now time has come to give up adventure courses and help Kashmiris in their hour of trial.

Abbas Hussain, director of Teacher Development Centre, referred to the current global trends in different walks of life, and noted that while inexpensive medicines were not available to a majority of the people in the world, huge amounts are being spent on defence purposes.

One submarine costs equal to the amount needed for educational budget of about 23 developing countries, he added.

He urged the youth to think about their goals in life, which ultimately would direct towards development of their country.

Talking about the problems of individuals on the whole, he mentioned that they must balance their sense of responsibility, start interacting with others and shun hatred and prejudices.

Introducing the Endeavour, the president of the NGO, Sohail Mohammad Ali, said that the organization would work for realization of a vision in the context of Pakistan and play as consultants on youth development.

"We want to promote social, economical, intellectual and moral well-being of the youth and provide an open forum for constructive dialogue and discussion," he said. Tasawarul Karim, secretary of the NGO also spoke.

The "Endeavour" is focussing on citizens between the ages of 19 and 35 years.